Lansing, December 2011 – The Michigan History Foundation has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to create Michigan Story Circles, a new program at the Michigan Historical Museum that utilizes a mobile computer lab to engage preschool children with reading, story telling, technology and history. 

The grant from the PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC), will allow the Michigan History Foundation to expand its programming to educate hundreds of Lansing-area preschool children each year. PNC provided the funding as part of Grow Up Great , its bilingual program in early childhood education that has been extended by $250 million over an additional 10 years.

"Our goal is to make reading and books part of children’s lives; to connect children with the foundational components of literacy, language and visual learning; and to foster an environment of creative learning that mixes an easily accessible approach to history and the latest technology,” said Pat Clark, executive director of the Michigan History Foundation.  “This generous gift from the PNC Foundation will support our efforts to create early childhood education programming.”

After the children experience a story in the round, they and an adult will take the story on an iPad2 from the Mobil Lab to explore a museum gallery.  The iPad2 will have directions on where to look for story artifacts, questions to answer and a place for the children to create their own sound and images about the story.  The children’s creations will be emailed to the parents, posted online at the Museum’s iTunesU channel, shared via social media or print materials.

“PNC recognizes the critical role that access to high quality early childhood education plays in the lives of area children, their families and ultimately, our economy,” said Tim Salisbury, PNC regional president for Mid-Michigan, speaking on behalf of the PNC Foundation.  “Through PNC Grow Up Great , we are contributing to the future of this region and helping to close learning readiness gaps faced by many children as they enter kindergarten.”     

About the Organizations   The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. PNC has extended its signature cause, PNC Grow Up Great, by $250 million over 10 years to enhance early childhood education and school readiness.

 The Michigan History Foundation was established by a group of Michigan businesses, industries, civic and political leaders to raise private funds from donors interested in ensuring Michigan’s rich history and culture are maintained to inspire generations today and in the future. The Foundation provides the financial support needed to collect, preserve, provide access and interpret Michigan’s past for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations.

The Michigan History Foundation relies on tax-deductible contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations as a way to support Michigan history projects and programs throughout the state.

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Lansing, Mich. ── To commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War in Michigan, the Michigan History Foundation in partnership with the Archives of Michigan today announced a unique donor campaign behind continued preservation of Michigan’s historic Civil War battle flags by making high resolution images of the flags available online.  A part of www.seekingmichigan.org   will be dedicated to showcasing the flags for the world to see, along with detailed histories of each flag and the role that particular regiment played in the Civil War.

Donors are invited to make a minimum $250 sponsorship for a flag. Donors will be acknowledged with their name and address city on a website dedicated to each of the state’s 134 battle flags that are able to be photographed. Each will receive an archival color print of their flag and be part of providing access of the Civil War flags to the public. The Michigan History Foundation seek to raise $200,000 through the campaign that begins April 12, 2011 which marks the date of the beginning of the Civil War.

Funds will also support additional projects regarding Michigan’s role in the Civil War.

Michigan’s Civil War battle flags are conserved at the Michigan Historical Center in Lansing, where experts are able to provide the conditions necessary to preserve them and halt disintegration.  Flags may be viewed only by appointment with curators.

“Michigan’s Civil War battle flags are unique and emotional artifacts from arguably one of our nation’s most contentious, bloody, and challenging times,” said Michigan History Foundation board chair Jack Dempsey of Ann Arbor. “The flags tell the story of incredible sacrifices made by Michigan men and women, of blood shed over the principles of freedom our then young nation would cling to, and of the important role Michigan would have in the war and the industrialization birth that would follow. We believe people are very interested in these wonderful and important artifacts, and will want to provide the support necessary to make them available for everyone to see."

About  Michigan’s Civil War Battle Flags

Although most of the flags were made of silk, some were made of cotton, wool or linen.  The fringes, too, were often silk, although cotton or a gold metallic fringe was sometimes used.  The Federal or the Michigan  coats-of-arm were hand-stenciled and painted, and in some cases, hand-embroidered on flags.  Others bear gold stenciled or appliquéd stars.  Many flags are embellished in gold with the names of their regiment’s major battles Gettysburg, Antietam, Cold Harbor, Wilderness, Petersburg names that, along with the bullet-torn flags themselves, bear mute testimony to the history of Michigan citizens in the Civil War.

To become a part of the sponsor a flag, go to http://store.seekingmichigan.org   or call 517-373-2565 for additional information.

About the Michigan History Foundation and Archives of Michigan

The Michigan History Foundation is a non-profit organization providing opportunities for the private support of the preservation, access and education of Michigan history projects and programs.

The Archives of Michigan is responsible for preserving the records of Michigan government and other public institutions. In fulfilling this primary mission, it serves as the collective memory of Michigan state government. In addition, after review, the Archives of Michigan also accepts papers from private individuals and organizations.

Lansing, Mich.- The Michigan History Foundation in partnership with the Archives of Michigan today announced the opening of a new online store.  This unique site features authentic reproductions of popular Michigan historical items.  The Archives of Michigan takes care of Michigan’s treasured heritage—photographs, maps, diaries, letters, architectural drawings and government records from state registered beer labels to legislative debates. But perhaps the most important thing the Archives does is to share the stories the collections tell with the people of Michigan and the world.

The e-commerce partnership between the Archives and Foundation is an effort to expose more historic collections to the general public and meet the demand for authentic reproductions of visual records.  The store builds on the popular content of SeekingMichigan.org which offers free public access to more than 1.2 million historical records, maps and photographs.  Proceeds from the store will fund access to new records, the expansion of retail items and continued operation of the website.

 “During this time of reinventing Michigan, it is necessary to find innovative opportunities to provide financial support for Michigan history programs,” said Pat Clark, executive director for the Michigan History Foundation.  “For the first time, the general public can personally own a piece of Michigan history.” 

 Some highlights from the store include t-shirts featuring vintage brewery labels of past Michigan breweries, reproductions of original architectural drawings of Michigan lighthouses, historic maps and photographs of Michigan and more.

For more details or to place an order, visit   http://store.seekingmichigan.org

The Michigan History Foundation is a non-profit organization providing opportunities for the private support of the preservation, access and education of Michigan history projects and programs.

The Archives of Michigan is responsible for preserving the records of Michigan government and other public institutions. In fulfilling this primary mission, it serves as the collective memory of Michigan state government. In addition, after review, the Archives of Michigan also accepts papers from private individuals and organizations.

The records preserved by the Archives of Michigan are one-of-a-kind and extremely important. The records receive impeccable care. They are placed in a secure, fire-resistant area and stored in shelves, drawers or filing cabinets designed for record preservation and efficient use of space. Humidity and temperature levels are also carefully controlled to ensure longevity of the records.